Vacuum-cleaner.



C. A. BOYER.

VACUUM CLEANER.

APPLICATION m50 APR. 29. 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

CHARLES A. BOYER, OF WARSAW, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T HUGRO MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

VACUUM-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application filed Apri129, 1915. Serial No. 24,651.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BOYER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Warsaw, Kosciusko county,

Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inVacuum-Cleaners, of which the .following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vacuum cleaners, and has moreparticular reference to improvements in means for detachably connectingthe suction nozzle to the body of the cleaner.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved device ofthis character which will besimple, durable and reliable inconstruction, and effective and eiiicient in operation, and inexpensiveto manufacture.

Other objects of my invention will appear hereinafter.

My invention consists in the features of novelty exemplified in theconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings and more particularly setforth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure'1 is a view in side elevation of theforward end portion of a vacuum cleaner embodying my invention and, Fig.2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. l.

In the drawings I have illustrated my invention in connection with avacuum cleaner of the type shown constituting the subjectmatter of myco-pending application, Serial No. 871,912, filed Nov. 13, 1914, andreference may be had to said application concerning the construction andoperation of said machine. In the drawings I have shown the forwardnozzle end portion of the vacuum cleaner casing A. In structures of thischaracter a nozzle B is generally positioned at the forward end of thecasing and arranged to contact with the Hoor as the machine is moved toand fro. The nozzles are provided with a passage (not shown) throughwhich the dust and particles from the floor are. drawn by vacuumcreating mechanism (not shown) contained within the 0 casing. Within thecasing is means, usually a foraminous bag, for screening the dust fromthe air which comes through the nozzle. This dust screen graduallyaccumulates a quantity of dust and must be cleaned 5 every so often. Onthis account it is usually positioned just behind theintake nozzle and1s made removable. The nozzle is therefore generally arranged ,so thatit may be entirely detached from the casing or removed from itsoperative position to permit the dust `bags removal or replacement. Inthe present case the nozzle is hinged to the casing in such manner thatit may be swung away therefrom, as shown inv dotted lines in Fig. 1.Adjacent the ends of the'nozzle it has two rearwardly extending lugs 1which are pivoted or hinged at 2 to the casing. This nozzle however mustbe locked or maintalned in position when the machine is in operation andI therefore provide a latch or lock at each end of the nozzle. Theselatches are in the form of arms or levers 3 which have curved open-endedcam slots or notches fl adapted to coperate with small outstandlng lugsor projections 5. The lugs are preferably formed up on the ends ofplates 6 which are screwed or riveted to the side walls of the casingand they have curved surfaces which conform to the curvature of thenotches or cam slots with which they cooperate. The latch levers arepivotally carried by the nozzle, and their cam slots are so formed thatas the levers are rotated downwardly 'the cam slots operating on thelugs 5 act to draw the nozzle in gradually tightening engagement withits seat. The lugs 5 and the cam slots are positioned close to thepivotal points of the latch levers and these levers extend considerablyrearwardly so that sufficient leverage is provided to convenientlyoperate the latches. At its rear end each latch has an outstanding ear 7forming a convenient finger piece for the operator.

rlhelatch levers are pivoted at 8 to the rearwardly extending endportions of substantially L-shaped members C carried by the nozzle.These members are securely fastened at 9 to the forward face of thenozzle at some distance in from the ends of the nozzle. The portions 9of said members which are fastened to the nozzle, by means of screws orotherwise, lie flat against the nozzle but the remaining portions ofsaid members are not in contact with the nozzle; that is the portions 10are bent at an angle to the portions 9 so that they are spaced from thenozzle, and these portions l0 have their outer ends bent forwardly toform parts 11 to which the latch levers are pivoted. This arrangementthus interposes yielding connections between the latch levers and thenozzle, which in this case is due to the resiliency of the portions 10of the L-shaped members. The latch levers will then exert a yieldingclam in action on the nozzle to hold the nozzle rm y, althoughyieldin'gly in position. This allows the nozzle to become adjusted toany irregularities in the structure either due to inaccuracies ofmanufacture or warping of the parts, and thus` an air tight joint can bemaintained between the casing and nozzle. These advantages are alsoobtained because each latch or clamp 1s lndependent of the other andyeach acts on its corresponding end 'of the nozzle.

Another advantage of my construction is that the nozzle is permanentlyattached to the sweeper body, whereby all trouble due to mislaying thenozzle is avoided. It will be further seen that by hinging the nozzle tothe casing and attaching the latching or cam-carrying levers to thenozzle, the placing of the nozzle in position for operation issimplified, in that all the operator has to do is to take hold of thetwo cam levers and swing the nozzle over onto the end face of the casingand, practically with a continuation of the same movement, swing thelevers into cam-locking engagementwiththe keeper lugs on the sides ofthe casing; and this arrangement of parts also facilitates quick removalof the nozzle from the end face of the casing in that all the operatorhas to do is to throw up both levers and thus release the nozzle andcause it to gravitate to position at one side of the casing entirely outof the way of the front end-face of the casing. It will be seen alsothat by hinging the nozzle to the casing at one ofthe forward(preferably the lower) corners of the casing, with the pivots of thehinges having their axes lying parallel with said end face, the nozzle,when released, will swing entirely away from the end face, that is,

to one side of the casing, thereby giving free access to the dust bag.By hinging the nozzle to the extreme front lower corner of the casing,it will, when released by the cam levers, swing around underneath thecasing, entirely out of the way.

What I'claim is:

1 The combination of a vacuum cleaner caslng, a nozzle pivoted to thefront lower corners thereof and extending across the end of the casing,a pair of straps fastened to the front face of the nozzle, each straphaving a resilient portion extending beyond the ad] acent end of thenozzle, this outwardly-extending part having a' rearward extension lyingclose to the end of the nozzle, a lug fastened to the casing at eachside thereof near the rear end of said spring extension, and a leverpivoted on each of said extensions on an axis parallel with the axis ofthe nozzle hinges, each of theselevers having a cam slot openingdownwardly, th'e cam surface of the slot facing forwardly, for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination of a vacuum cleaner casing, a nozzle pivoted to thefront lower corners thereof and extending across the end of the casing,a pair of straps fastened to the front face of the nozzle, each straphaving a resilient portion extending beyond the adjacent end of thenozzle, this outwardlyextending part having a rearward extension lyingclose to the end of the nozzle, a lug fas-4 tened to the casing at eachside thereof near the rear end of said spring extension, and a leverivoted on each of said extensions on an axls parallel with the axis ofthe nozzle hinges, each of these levers having cam means for engagementwith the aforesaid igned by me at Warsaw, Ind., this 21 day of April,1915.

CHARLES A. BOYER. Witnesses:

ADAM S'roUr, HAzEL GROVE.

